Hey Stretchers! This is PJ! You’ve probably seen me behind reception, or have taken one of my classes, or have talked to me via email or phone at some point. I pretty much sleep in the studios…(maybe on the bolster piles?).

So I wanted to let you all know that I’m going to be taking part in the 30 Day Challenge alongside you guys. Why am I telling you? For accountability (haha)! I’m a slightly lazy yogi at times, and I definitely don’t do a class every single day. But I figure if I announce it then I’ll have to actually go through with it (feel free to call me out if I skip a day)! But why do I think it’s a great idea to do a 30 Day Challenge? Read on…

1. Physical HealthWhile it’s definitely not what yoga is all about, you can’t deny that the physical benefits of yoga are pretty amazing. Stronger, more flexible, generally fitter… yes please! I’m really excited to see how attending classes every day for 30 days might help my practice grow!

2. Mental HealthFor me these benefits are huge. I work some fairly long hours and running two studios (although epic-ally fun!) can sometimes be a little stressful. Yoga has long been my savior when it comes to the infrequent bouts of anxiety that I get, but I’m pretty excited to see what effect this much yoga is going to have on my overall mood and general mental health. You should probably expect some pretty big smiles and more lame jokes than normal from me ;)

3. Form a HabitI’m really hoping that this will kick start me into a habit of practicing more regularly than I already am! Whilst it varies from expert to expert, the general consensus is that a habit doesn’t from for at least 21 days. I hope that committing to this will help motivate me long into the future.

4. Meet New PeopleOk so this one is a little adorable/lame but I’m really hoping to meet some more of you guys in class and bond over our mutual sweatiness or insane dislike of frog pose (or is that just me?). If you see me, smile and say hi! I’ll show you my favourite pose if you show me yours…

5. Learn New ThingsLast but not least - this is actually the thing that I’m most excited about! Sometimes people think that once you become a teacher you stop being a student. I’ve always loved learning and practicing more than teaching (even though I love teaching times a million) and I’m so ridiculously lucky that my job includes picking which teachers I want to teach here at Stretch! The Stretch team all have such amazing strengths and knowledge bases in different areas and I’m more than a little excited to have a whole bunch of new thoughts, ideas and poses rammed into my brain! Yay learning!

So there you have it – my reasons for joining the 30 Day Challenge! I’m going to be posting a blog once a week about my experience (with brutal honesty) and would love you to follow along even if you aren’t participating! Maybe you can do your own challenge at home with 10-15 minutes a day of yoga or meditation even if you can’t make it to classes!